Foster Family (Jump City High)
by XxPhoenix FlightxX
Summary: A drabble for FrivolousFlare's Jump City High, giving some insight into Joseph's life with his foster family, as he wonders, What's the deal with the principal? May or may not lead to a set of multiple drabbles of a similar sort.


**This is a VERY short drabble for Frivolous Flare's Jump City High. Go read that and then you can appreciate this. :) If you're too lazy, here's what you need to know. The idea is that Slade is the principal and he's taken an interest in Joseph, calling him into his office on multiple accounts even when he wasn't in trouble and even giving him a music book for guitar because he's heard he's good at it. The most recent encounter (chapter 11) it is revealed that Joseph lives with a foster family, and Slade is interested in whether or not he's happy there. So I ran with that, and this is what happened. Enjoy. **

**Oh yeah. I don't own Teen Titans, Joseph, Slade, Rose, Lilly, or Jump City High. I made up Jim because if he didn't exist it would make no sense for Lilly to get custody of Joseph. **

Joseph closed the door behind him, putting his key back in his backpack and kicking his shoes off, dropping them in the basket by the door where everyone's shoes went. He left his bag and guitar case on the couch, walking into the kitchen.

"Joseph?" called Lilly. She came into the kitchen from the laundry room, carrying a basket of clothes. "Hi sweetie. How was your day?"

_Same old school day. Mr. Wilson pulled me into his office again._ He followed her to the living room where she liked to fold laundry while watching TV.

"Again? Was it those same kids picking on you? Joseph you should say something to him if-"

_No, it's not them, and they were picking on this other girl, not me._ He began to help her fold some towels.

"Then what did he want?"

Joseph shrugged. _I still don't know; he said I wasn't in trouble and then he just started asking me random questions._

"Questions? What kind?" Lilly asked. Joseph shrugged.

_Just stuff like how I was doing... He asked if I liked the music book he got me and I said yes and thanked him again... He asked me if I was happy here._

"Where? In school?"

_No, here. With you, in a foster family._

"Oh..."

_I told him I was happy,_ he reassured her. _I don't know why he's so interested in me._

Lilly pursed her lips in thought. "I don't either, sweetie, but at least he likes you. He's supposed to be really tough, right?"

Joseph nodded. _Yeah, but he's even scarier when he acts nice..._

They finished with the laundry and Joseph got up with a stretch. He picked up the towels to put away.

"Do you have homework?" Lilly asked. He nodded in reply. "Get a start on that, I'm going to go get Rose from school and drop her off at karate."

Joseph nodded and went to do so, Lilly watching him closely.

When Joseph was very young, he and his brother had been taken away from their divorcing parents. Their father had endangered Joseph, causing him to lose his voice and nearly get killed. His mother proved herself unstable enough to keep her sons by attempting to murder her husband after the fact. Lilly had been assigned to Joseph's case specifically, and had watched him for years, bounced around from foster home to foster home, struggling to adapt. Learning to sign had been very difficult for him, since there was no steady teacher, nor foster parents to learn with him. Many simply didn't care and urged him just to write, though he was too young to be good at that yet either.

She watched out for him, encouraging him repeatedly to stick it out. Maybe THIS family would fit him; it never did, and she could see how he struggled to even be happy. It broke her heart and she couldn't stand to see him this way.

It took a lot of work, and string pulling, but eventually she was able to take him as her foster son. She already had one child, a daughter named Rose who was born around the time Joseph's case was brought to her. She reasoned that her new motherly instincts were what drew her to him so strongly. She saw him for the first time still in the hospital, recovering from his injury, and her heart felt a huge weight to it.

She also met his older brother, Grant, and felt for him too. He was older, so his case was handed to another Social Worker who specialized in preteens to young adults. It didn't take long at all for the brothers to be separated, which really didn't help Joey. Joseph had asked about him a few times but Lilly had no idea what'd become of him.

She hoped that whatever was going on his life at school, with the new principal, or the bullies or anything, he would be okay.

Joseph worked for a few hours, sitting cross legged at his desk and on the floor while he did Math and English work. He decided to do History tomorrow, and moved to his bed to practice his guitar. He did some songs they were learning in his Advanced Musicians class but then his mind wandered to the simpler, yet much more energetic and fun, songs in the book Mr. Wilson had given him. They made him feel happy, but...confused at the same time because they reminded him of Mr. Wilson and the man's strange and sudden interest in him.

He broke from his thoughts when Rose came home again with Lilly. As always she ran right to her foster brother's room to greet him, bursting in and bubbling over with energy. "Joey!"

He laughed and caught her as she threw herself into his lap. He always got his guitar out of the way JUST in time. He gave her a tight hug, and then pulled back to give her his attention while she babbled about her day, having fun with friends at school and learning things in classes and getting the next color belt in karate, which she proudly showed him tied around her waist. He smiled happily with her, listening to every word. He didn't really understand why she was so attached to him. She was already a few years old by the time Lilly took him in and they became 'siblings.' Even now at nine years old she clung to him, very happy to claim him as her older brother, even though he wasn't legally adopted into the family or anything. Still, it made him very happy to be here with this family, with Lilly and Rose and even Jim.

Jim was Lilly's husband and father to Rose. He wasn't around all the time because he worked so hard, but he was still a very good father to both children. Though...deep down Joseph felt a lack of something between him and Jim. The man just couldn't BE his father, and they both understood that. Lilly could be like a mother to him, but Jim just...wasn't that close to his foster son. He was a wonderful man and filled his role perfectly, Joseph knew, but Lilly went beyond filling the role to just BEING the best mother she could be for Joseph. Jim could never be around enough to be that for him.

If Joey thought back very far he could remember that his biological father hadn't been around any more than Jim was. Maybe even less. Still, Joseph could faintly remember the bond that had been there and yearned to feel that again; but, it could never happen with Jim.

"Joey!" Rose jumped on him where she sat. "You're daydreaming again!"

He smiled apologetically. _Sorry, Rose. I was thinking. Come on, you can show me some moves you've learned._

He let her jump onto his back and carried her out of the room.

**Short, right? Well I hope you like it. I may do more if I feel so inclined but for now that's all. **


End file.
